Patriotic Populism: what does it offer democracy?

  • 11:00 - 17:30
  • Wednesday 9th April 2025
  • The Hotel Brussels, Bd de Waterloo 38, 1000 Brussels

Registration from 10:30

REGISTER HERE

The Populist moment has arrived. Populism can no longer be marginalized or dismissed as a movement of protest. The re-lection of Donald Trump was made possible by the existence of a genuine movement of the people. In Europe the success of patriotic populist parties has had a huge impact on the political agenda. Whether on immigration or the Green Deal the pressure from populist movements has forced the mainstream centrist political establishment to backtrack. In many of the EU’s nation states, citizens can now vote for and support a serious patriotic political alternative.

Two months into his presidency, President Trump has grabbed the headlines with his MAGA agenda, America First approach and installation of Elon Musk to head the new DOGE department tasked with slashing federal expenditure and its workforce. Trump has torn up the rulebook, upended the transatlantic security order and proclaimed to have achieved more in days than most administrations do in years.

Patriotic populist parties in Europe have adopted the slogan Make Europe Great Again and seek to build on their recent advances to win power and bring an end to the dominance of a technocratic EU elite disdainful of the concerns of many ordinary people. Whilst there are undoubtedly lessons to learn from the Trump campaign, the European context is hugely different and many question the chances of success.

Within academia, the media and established political parties, populism is largely responded to as a dangerous, potentially demagogic and dark force playing to people’s prejudices, fears and sense of dislocation. Yet the leading liberal political theorist Ivan Krastev recently warned of the need to comprehend that we are at a ‘moment of radical political rupture’ and that for ‘liberals to respond to this moment by acting as defenders of a disappearing status quo would be unwise’.  

In the face of potentially radical political change, this conference aims to provide an intellectual opportunity for an open debate about what the contemporary populist moment has to offer. It will address the surge in popularity of parties labelled populist, analyse the often negative response to populism, and consider the scope for populists to reinvigorate democratic debate and accountability.

 

10:30 to 11:00

Registration & coffee

 

11:00 to 11:45

Lecture: The spirit of populism

Frank Furedi

 

11:45 to 13:00

Nationhood: can populists reclaim patriotism?

The European Union was founded on the fear of aggressive nationalism, and this remains a touchstone for today’s EU elite who view Europe’s past as primarily a source of tension and conflict. In the wake of globalism and mass migration, an elite preference for a heterogeneous mass, rather than people socialised into a common national culture, can clearly be detected. Liberal concerns about the potential volatility of the demos feed their hostility towards movements that uphold national identity, patriotism and community traditions.

Yet the common inheritance amongst members of a nation state provides the foundation for solidarity and a powerful sense of community. The unsettling impact of mass migration, in the context of nations that are no longer know sure what they believe in and where smaller and smaller proportions of adults are willing to fight for their country, makes national coherence and solidarity a key concern and not just for populists.  Without the particularity of national cultures, traditions and institutions, is a genuinely democratic, moral and civilised society achievable? If not, is it possible populists can reclaim the language of patriotism, restore civic pride and a sense of belonging within their respective countries? Or could they become mired in a shallow form of right-wing identity politics or even xenophobia?

Speakers:

  • Lorenzo Bernasconi, research fellow, Machiavelli Institute
  • Rebecca Mistereggen, journalist and show host with Document.no
  • Bruno Waterfield, journalist

 

Lunch

13:00 to 14:00

 

14:00 to 15:30

Uneasy bedfellows: the relationship between populism and conservatism

Populists are not tied to a particular political tradition or ideology; they can be associated with the left or the right, for example, and can advocate welfarist policies or for a small state. In the contemporary period, so-called right-wing populists have a high profile and a shared respect for tradition, the nation and community with conservative politicians and parties. Indeed, many politicians frequently labelled as populist might rather see themselves as national conservatives with a strong connection to the demos.

Populist movements can be volatile and willing to embrace the tactics of direct action – take, for example, the farmers protests in Europe that fought for farmers livelihoods and the country way of life. For some conservatives, despite shared concerns about globalism and the undermining of traditional communities, populists may be viewed as to extreme and unpredictable and likely to stir unwelcome public ferment. Populism’s volatility and anti-institutional nature clash with conservatism’s preference for order, tradition, and gradual evolution.

How should we understand the relationship between populism and conservatism, and why does it matter? Will these uneasy bedfellows be able to work together towards a common cause in the coming period?

Speakers:

  • Jorge Buxadé Villalba, VOX, Patriots for Europe Group MEP
  • Susanna Ceccardi, Lega, Patriots for Europe Group MEP
  • Dr David Engels, historian and author of author of ‘The Decline’, ‘What Is to Be Done?’, and ‘Defending Civilizational Europe’.
  • Mick Hume, editor-in-chief, europeanconservative.com and visiting fellow at MCC Budapest

 

Coffee

15:30 to 16:00

 

16:00 to 17:30

Can populist parties wield power?

 Across Europe, in multiple countries, parties regarded as populist have made significant gains. Populist parties are in government or governing coalitions in Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. In France, Rassemblement Nationale increased its number of seats in the snap National Assembly elections in July by more than 50% to 143 – though it was thwarted from securing far more seats by a cynical alliance between the New Popular Front and Ensemble.  Most recently in the German snap Bundestag elections, the AfD doubled their vote to come second to the CDU but have been excluded from coalition talks.

 As well as overcoming the cordon sanitaire, populist parties face a big question about their ability to actually transform European countries. The challenges are steep: economic decline, unstable geopolitics, and the barriers placed in their way by resistant bureaucracies, courts, and civil servants. Some insist they should follow the example of Trump 2.0 – come ready armed with a plan to tackle entrenched interests, upend the status quo, and smash the “deep state”. Others believe that European populists still need to address their “image problem” and avoid upsetting mainstream opinion.

 In Europe, what are the prospects for populist parties and what are the challenges they must overcome to wield power?

Speakers:

  • John McGuirk, media commentator, former activist and editor of Gript
  • Alex Philipps, former Brexit Party MEP, TalkTV presenter, and policy adviser, Reform UK
  • Jacob Reynolds, Head of Policy, MCC Brussels
  • Angéline Furet, Rassemblement National, Patriots for Europe Group MEP

 

REGISTER HERE